


Doc, There's a Hole Where Something Was

by graysonofgotham (cruel_oath)



Category: Nightwing (Comics), Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Amnesia, Angst, Gen, Past Character Death, Post-Endgame
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-25
Updated: 2019-05-19
Packaged: 2020-01-31 11:32:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,055
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18590401
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cruel_oath/pseuds/graysonofgotham
Summary: A series of angsty one-shots that I've written for prompts sent to me on Tumblr. Rating not reflective of all fics, see chapter notes for individual warnings.Most Recent:1. Artemis + Dick; “You’re my friend, of course I fucking care.”2. Dick + Wally; “You hide things, you always have and always will, just give me an explanation just this once!"3. DickKory; “When you love someone, you don’t just stop. Ever. Even when people roll their eyes or call you crazy… even then. Especially then!”4. Tim + Bat Family; “I couldn’t save them! I couldn’t save them!”





	1. Artemis + Dick; “You’re my friend, of course I fucking care.”

**Author's Note:**

> Anonymous: Artemis and Dick, 13. “You’re my friend, of course I fucking care.”
> 
>  **Chapter Warnings:** Discussions of past (major) character death

It’s been five months since anyone last saw Nightwing in person.

They know he’s alive―at least, they  _ think  _ he is. Every so often, a blurry photo of a familiar black-clad figure will surface on social media, or a member of the team will hear of what he’d been up to from a Leaguer who heard it from another Leaguer who heard it from a C-list hero who heard it from their distant cousin. For the most part, it eases the team’s minds, but Artemis always was the type of person who had to see something with her own two eyes to believe it.

Trouble is, Dick isn’t the easiest person to get a hold of. He won’t answer his phone, he hasn’t logged into social media since the invasion started, and not even  _ Bruce  _ seems to be able to get into contact with him. Those who are lucky enough to get him to answer his stupid phone are rewarded with a short conversation, with Dick insisting everything’s fine, he’s moving on.

That might be enough to fool the newbies, but it sure as hell doesn’t fool the senior members of the team.

Two weeks ago, they all had a meeting―Artemis, Conner, Kaldur, M’gann, Will, Barbara, and Tim. By now, they had exhausted all options: they’ve given Dick space, they tried to get him to talk about his feelings, they tried  _ not  _ talking about it, but now their friend was getting himself into increasingly more dangerous situations. He  _ needed  _ an intervention, and they  _ all  _ wanted to go, but in the end, they allowed Artemis to do this herself.

After all, she was probably the one who understood Dick’s grief better than anyone else.

“Tigress?”

She can’t help but smile when she hears Nightwing’s voice, recalling her early days on the team when she still kept all her secrets from the people she now considers her family. “Nightwing.”

“How  _ random  _ that you’re in the ‘Haven,” Nightwing says, tone playful. “You here to see your cousin? The one who was in the state spelling bee?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Tigress asks, approaching the ex-Boy Wonder.

“C-O-O-L. Did she W-I-N?”

“Y-E-S, actually. She’s been P-R-A-C-T-I-C-I-N-G.”

“N-E-A-T.”

There’s a beat of silence before the two of them burst into loud, obnoxious laughter. They’re likely alerting every criminal within the area of their presence, but neither of them seem to care. Besides, it  _ really  _ sounds like Nightwing needed to laugh.

It takes a few minutes for their laughter to die down, and when it does, Tigress is finally able to get a good look at Nightwing. The signs that he’s not doing as well as he wants everyone to believe are subtle―his normally clean-shaven face has stubble, his hair is longer than he likes to have it, and there’s a slight slouch the untrained eye would miss altogether. She’s sure there’s other signs, signs he’s keeping hidden beneath his costume and behind closed doors, but for now, she focuses on her first priority: getting Nightwing to lower his guard.

“It’s… it’s good to see you, Artemis,” Nightwing says sincerely.

“You, too, Dick,” Tigress says. “I actually came by to get a couple supplies from the bunker, but I figured I’d see if you were around. Not sure if you need the help, but what’s the harm in having a little fun?”

“Just like when we were kids, huh? What are the stakes this time, ‘Mis?”

“Let’s see who can take out the most thugs by the end of your patrol,” Tigress says. “Loser buys the winner pancakes at the usual spot.”

Nightwing smirks. “You’re on.”

* * *

 

In the end, Artemis wins by two thugs. After changing into civvies, they take the Zeta-Tube to Gotham, which is located around the corner from the 24-hour diner she and Dick used to go to at least once a week back when they were in high school. They enter the diner, take a seat at the booth way at the back of the building, and catch up while they wait for their pancakes.

Unsurprisingly, Dick has been keeping himself busy―he’s now a full time student attending Blüdhaven University, majoring in criminology. He works part-time as a gymnastics instructor for children at the local community center, specializing in kids affected by violence. There are other little details, but Artemis notices how he specifically avoids talking about what  _ Nightwing  _ has been up to.

A younger, more foolish Artemis would’ve assumed Dick just didn’t like to bring up hero work in civvie spaces. Now, she considers it the biggest warning sign that he’s not doing as well as he’d like her to think. Whereas Bruce kept his secret identity as far away from Batman as possible, Dick considered Nightwing a part of his core identity―Nightwing was not a mask, and neither was Dick Grayson.

“God, it feels like I’ve been talking about myself forever,” Dick says. He pauses to thank the waitress when she comes by with their pancakes, waiting until she leaves before continuing. “How have you been, Artemis?”

(She’s kinda been dreading that question all night. Might as well get it over with.)

“I’m doing alright,” Artemis says, reaching for the maple syrup. “It’s been hard, but it gets better every day. It  _ really  _ helped when I moved away from Palo Alto―I’m living with Will down in Star City, now.”

“Will?” Dick asks, shoving a forkful of pancakes into his mouth.

“Red Arrow,” Artemis explains. “He goes by Will now. Dinah thought the name change would give him a better sense of self… that, and he got tired of not being able to tell which Roy someone was talking about. Of course, you’d know that if you came by more often.”

Dick’s expression turns into something resembling guilt. “I know.”

“I understand why you left,” Artemis says. “I get why you needed to take a step back. What I  _ don’t  _ get is why you lied about taking a leave of absence, or why you’ve become so distant from everyone.”

“I haven’t―”

“Dick, some of us thought you were  _ dead.  _ Nobody has seen you, much less  _ Nightwing,  _ in months.”

Dick lets out a humorless laugh. “Didn’t think anyone cared after everything I’ve done.”

Artemis reaches out, resting her hand on top of Dick’s. “You’re my friend,” she says, “of course I fucking care.”

Dick’s gaze shifts down. “It was my fault, Art.”

“Wally would’ve come running, regardless of whether or not you asked for his help. That’s the kind of person he was and you know it.” Artemis gently squeezes his hand, her heart breaking when she sees the tears well up in his eyes. “I know you two didn’t see eye to eye during the time I was undercover, but he didn’t hate you. He could  _ never  _ hate you.”

Dick swallows hard.  _ Christ,  _ now  _ she’s _ going to cry. “I  _ know.  _ I’m… I’m glad we had to chance to reconcile, but there’s still so much I had to say. There was so much I didn’t get to apologize for―”

“I won’t deny you’ve made choices that hurt him,” Artemis says, “but in the end, he understood. He saw the pressure you were under. He  _ knew  _ when it came to choosing between the fate of the world or your friends, you would do everything you could to save  _ both.  _ He forgave you. It’s time for you to forgive yourself.”

Dick falls silent, staring at the table. Though Batman has trained him to hide his emotions well, Artemis is able to see through the cracks. She’s able to see his pain, his guilt, his loneliness.

“I don’t think I can, Artemis,” he finally says, sounding more like the thirteen-year-old boy she used to know instead of the twenty-year-old man that sits before her tonight. “Even if I didn’t kill Wally with my own two hands, I  _ did  _ get the two of you involved. I took Wally away from you, then left you and the team hanging while you were still grieving.”

“Dick…” Artemis reaches out to wipe away the tears that have started to fall down his face. “You were  _ hurting.  _ The team  _ started  _ with you, Wally, and Kaldur. I know how much it  _ hurts  _ to be surrounded by constant reminders of him, but you’re not in this alone. This team is a  _ family,  _ and we don’t leave our family behind.”

Dick gives her a sad smile. “Thank you, Artemis, but… I don’t think I’m ready to come back just yet. I’m sorry.”

“You don’t have to apologize, Dick. Just… check in a little more often. Let us know you’re still alive.” Artemis pulls out her phone, opening up her calendar app. “That being said, the team’s holiday party is in two weeks. It’d be nice to see you there.”

“I’ll be there. Promise.”

Artemis smile. “I’m gonna hold you to that, Grayson.”


	2. Dick + Wally; “You hide things, you always have and always will, just give me an explanation just this once!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anonymous: Dick and Wally, 20. “You hide things, you always have and always will, just give me an explanation just this once!"
> 
> No warnings apply; set between seasons one and two before Dick became Nightwing. Phrasing of prompt changed to fit the context of the fic.

Dick has been quiet lately.

Okay, maybe not  _ quiet…  _ he’s still as chatty as ever when he’s around the team, still energetic and cracking jokes, but Wally can tell they’re not as genuine as they usually are. Admittedly, he’s a little surprised their teammates haven’t noticed, but then again, Wally has known Dick Grayson a  _ lot  _ longer than the rest of the team has.

He can’t pinpoint exactly where the tension between Dick and Bruce started, but he does know it’s been building. Dick has been spending more and more time at the mountain, specifically in the training room, and the fact that they’ve had to replace the training dummies three times this week tells Wally that something  _ really  _ bad is happening. Thing is, he has no idea what it is.

Even though they’re best friends, there are still some things Dick doesn’t talk about around Wally. For the most part, it doesn’t bother him―he gets that bat business is private, and Dick is entitled to his privacy―but when he walks in and finds his best friend sitting on the training mat, a first aid kit at his side and his knuckles bleeding, he has to draw the line.

“Dude, what did the training dummy do to deserve that?” Wally asks, trying to lighten the mood.

“Not really a good time, Walls,” Dick says, letting out a sharp hiss when he pulls a splinter out of his knuckles.

“What, you gonna rip me apart if I stick around? Get in line, dude, I’m sort of already on Artemis’ shitlist for forgetting Valentine’s Day.”

Dick snorts. “For the  _ second  _ year in a row? Hate to say it, but you did this to yourself.”

“Then why don’t you do a dying man a favor and tell me  _ why  _ I need to tell Red Tornado we need to get new training dummies for the fourth time this week?”

Dick falls silent. Though Wally can’t see his eyes through the dark lenses of his sunglasses, he can tell he’s glaring. “Bat business,” he finally says.

“Bullshit.”

“Bat. Business.”

“It it were really bat business,” Wally says, “you wouldn’t make it so obvious that this is bothering you.”

“Wally,” Dick says. “drop it.”

“No! You hide things, you always have and always will, and normally I’m okay with it, but I can’t justify sitting aside and letting you suffer through it alone.” Wally kneels down to Dick’s level, bright green eyes meeting cold, black plastic. “Give me an explanation just this once. Let me in, Dick. Maybe I can help.”

“Names,” Dick says quietly.

“Nobody’s here, Grayson,” Wally reminds him, taking the tweezers away from the Boy Wonder. “Conner’s out training with Superman, M’gann’s off on a mission with Zatanna, Artemis, and Rocket, and Kaldur’s visiting his parents.” He carefully begins to remove the rest of the splinters sticking out of Dick’s knuckles. “Now, what’s going on? What did B do to upset you?”

“Never said B had anything to do with it.”

“You didn’t have to.”

Dick lets out a bitter laugh. “Is it that obvious?”

“To be fair, there’s not that many people out there who can rile you up as much as he can,” Wally points out. “And you’re not as subtle as you’d like to believe. Not to me, anyway.” He plucks out the last splinter embedded into Dick’s knuckle, letting out a sympathetic wince. “So, what happened?”

“B and I had a fight.”

“Gonna need a few more details, buddy.”

Dick scowls at the floor. “We’ve been partners for six years, Walls… you’d think B would trust me like I trust him, but there’s still so much he keeps hidden. There are some things I get, like the Watchtower, but  _ this…  _ I can’t believe him…”

Wally raises an eyebrow. It  _ is  _ strange that Bruce would  _ still  _ keep so much from Dick, especially since he’s proven himself loyal to the Dark Knight time and time again. It had to be something big if Dick is sitting before him, knuckles bloody, jaw clenched, and body shaking with fury. “What is it? What did he not tell you?”

“Tony Zucco has been released from prison.”

Wally nearly drops the open bottle of disinfectant.  _ Of course Bruce managed to handle something as big as this poorly.  _ “Dick―”

“I don’t know how, but that bastard is out on parole,” Dick says, “and knowing him, he’s paid off the judge. Bet his parole officer is in on it, too.”

“Dick―”

“He’s going to go back to doing what he did before. He’s gonna kill more people, tear apart more families, leave more kids orphaned―”

_ “Dick.”  _ Wally grabs his friend’s shoulders gently. “I need you to calm down.”

_ “‘Calm down?’  _ Are you fucking  _ kidding  _ me?” Dick lets out a bitter laugh. “Zucco killed my family! Uncle Rick isn’t able to care for himself! He took  _ everything  _ away from me, and Br― _ Batman  _ tried to hide it from me!”

“Dick, just… think for a moment,” Wally says. “Batman probably didn’t want to tell you for  _ this exact reason.  _ How do you know he isn’t working on getting Zucco back behind bars right now?”

“Because he’s working on the Falcone case. That’s all he’s  _ been  _ working on for the past month!”

“Batman is capable of working on multiple cases at once, y’know,” Wally points out, “just like  _ you’re  _ capable of working cases with him  _ and  _ missions with us. You’ve been spending a  _ lot  _ of time at the cave lately. He  _ might  _ have been working on it while you were away.”

The fight seems to leave Dick. “Then why did he keep it a secret?”

“Maybe he did it because he thought he was protecting you,” Wally says, gently cleaning the blood off Dick’s knuckles. “He might have thought you would’ve gone off on your own to confront Zucco. I don’t think he really went about it the right way, but I can’t say he’s in the wrong here, dude.”

Dick’s brow furrows, but Wally knows he’s not angry. “Look,” he says, reaching for the roll of bandages, “I know you’re probably feeling pretty betrayed right now, and that’s fair, but you of all people know Batman wouldn’t keep a secret from his  _ partner  _ if he didn’t have a damn good reason to do so. Once you’ve cooled down, go home and talk it out. Show him you can approach this calmly and he’ll let you help him out.”

Dick nods, letting out a soft sigh. “Okay. I… I can do that.”

Wally finishes bandaging Dick’s knuckles. “There. Hopefully it’s up to Agent A’s standards.”

“It’s a lot better than I would’ve done with only one hand,” Dick assures him. He looks up at Wally, giving him a tired smile. “Thanks, Walls.”

Wally gives Dick’s shoulder a playful punch. “What are friends for?”


	3. DickKory; "When you love someone, you don’t just stop."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> bowleronstrike: DickKory, 17: “When you love someone, you don’t just stop. Ever. Even when people roll their eyes or call you crazy… even then. Especially then!”
> 
> This is basically a better version of the amnesia plotline that's currently going on in Nightwing. No """Ric""" in my household.

For the first time since she was a child, Kory feels…  _ anxious. _

She stands before the door to Dick Grayson’s apartment, Jason’s warning echoing in her mind― _ He doesn’t remember anything, Kory. Not his family, not his friends, not his comrades.  _ Nobody, not even  _ Barbara,  _ seemed to be able to get through to him. Kory liked to believe she was an optimist, but as she stands here, her fist an inch away from the door, she wonders if she’ll wind up getting the same result.

_ No. You’ve never given up on him before. Now is not the time to start, not when he needs you now more than ever. _

Kory knocks on the door, preparing herself. She’s certain it can’t be that bad―after all, Dick had  _ died  _ not so long ago. At least he’s alive. He’s  _ alive. _

When the door opens, she finds herself  _ very  _ underprepared.

The first thing she notices is the absence of soft, dark locks of hair, which had been shaved away by the surgeons. She’s just barely able to see the very edge of the scar peeking out from the side of his head. His blue eyes, normally vibrant, are dull with a sort of tiredness that she’s only ever seen in the most dire of situations.

“Um… hi?”

Kory pulls herself together, pushing through the heartbreak she feels when Dick doesn’t recognize her. “Hello, Dick.”

Dick lets out a tired sigh. “Look, I’m really sorry, Miss―”

“I won’t take up too much of your time,” Kory cuts in. “I’m aware that your family has been… persistent. From what I’ve heard, you are frustrated that you can’t remember the people closest to you, and it is mentally draining to tell them the same thing over and over again. I want to stress I’m not here to push you to remember. I’m only here to talk.”

Dick leans against the doorway, considering her words. After a moment, he steps aside, inviting her in. For once, she’s pleased to see that the apartment is in a state of disarray―it’s a sign that the Dick Grayson she fell in love with is still in there, somewhere.

Kory takes a seat on the couch while Dick goes to the kitchen to brew a pot of coffee. From where she sits, Kory is able to see the gunshot scar on the back of his head clearly―it’s angry red in color, shape reminiscent of the bright blue bird Nightwing wore on his chest. It makes her  _ sick.  _ It makes her want to return the favor to KGBeast, but from what she heard, Bruce has already done so.

“You want any cream or sugar, Miss..?”

“Call me Kory,” she calls out. “And yes, please.”

After a moment, Dick returns with two mugs filled with coffee. He hands Kory her mug of coffee, and when she takes a sip, she finds it’s suspiciously close to how she likes it. She has to remind herself that this  _ isn’t  _ something to get her hopes up over, that this could just be muscle memory at play.

“Let’s just rip this bandage off,” Dick says, sitting down beside her. “Who are you, Kory? Why are you here?”

“I’m here because you’re my friend, Dick,” Kory says. “You… are very special to me.”

“How so?”

“When I first came to Earth, I met a team of teenage superheroes. You were their leader. You all were my first friends on this planet, and you and I… we were together for a very long time.”

Dick raises an eyebrow. “‘Were?’”

“We are no longer together,” Kory says, “but I stand by my previous statement. You are special to me, Dick Grayson.”

Dick falls silent for a moment. His eyes light up, but Kory doesn’t believe it’s recognition―it’s realization. “I broke your heart, didn’t I?”

“Yes,” Kory says, giving Dick a sad smile, “but that hasn’t changed my feelings for you. When you love someone, you don’t just stop. Ever. Even when people roll their eyes or call you crazy… even then.  _ Especially _ then.” She reaches out to take Dick’s hand. “That’s why I’m here. Even if you don’t remember me, I want you to know that you have my support.”

Dick’s brow furrows in thought. He chews on his lip, just like he does when he’s examining evidence. “I don’t remember you, but… I believe you. I feel like you were― _ are― _ important to me, too.”

Kory smiles.  _ It’s a start. _


	4. Tim + Bat Family: “I couldn’t save them! I couldn’t save them!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anonymous: Tim and the Bat Family, 37. “I couldn’t save them! I couldn’t save them!”
> 
> I went with YJ!Tim because I wanted to explore Tim's early days as Robin. I'd say this is set within the first six months of him being Robin.

“Robin! Wait!”

Tim, to Dick’s dismay, completely ignores his plea. He watches as his little brother rushes out of the hangar, pushing past Batman and Black Canary when they try to stop him. He disappears down the hall towards Mount Justice’s living quarters, likely to lock himself up in his room and beat himself up over circumstances he had no control over.

Dick turns to Kaldur, an apology already prepared for ditching debriefing, but the Atlantean holds up his hand. “Go,” he says, expression understanding. “Any additional information you have can wait, Nightwing. Robin cannot.”

Dick gives Kaldur a nod, a silent gesture of thanks before running after Tim. He pauses briefly when he crosses paths with Batman, looking him in the eye. “He needs you, too, you know.”

Batman nods. “I’ll make it quick.”

“I’m gonna hold you to that.”

He doesn’t wait for Batman’s reply. Instead, he makes his way to the cave’s living quarters, not stopping until he reaches the door that reads  _ ROBIN.  _ Without a moment of hesitation, Dick knocks on the door. “Tim?”

A moment of silence passes before Dick hears Tim’s half-hearted response: “Names.”

Dick ignores the comment. “Can I come in?”

This time, Tim doesn’t respond. With a sigh, Dick enters his override code into the keypad. The keypad beeps, then the door slides open. When Dick steps into the room, he finds Tim sitting on his bed, knees pulled up to his chest and his cape wrapped around his body. Dick walks over to the Boy Wonder, sitting down beside him and removing his mask.

Dick hasn’t known Tim that long―only a few months, at this point―but in that time, he has learned that Tim isn’t very forward with his emotions. He’s not as closed-off as Bruce, granted, but Dick has learned that asking questions doesn’t usually result in a truthful answer. So, he sits there with Tim in silence, patiently waiting until he speaks up.

“Do you think Batman is going to make me give up Robin?”

_ That  _ throws Dick off. He turns to Tim, raising an eyebrow. “What? Tim, of course he isn’t going to make you step down.”

“Are you kidding me, Dick? Tonight was a disaster!” Tim’s gaze shifts to the floor. “People  _ died,  _ and I couldn’t save them. I’m supposed to be a hero, and I failed to do the most important part of the job!”

“Tim…”

“I couldn’t save them,” Tim says, his voice breaking. “I couldn’t save them!”

Dick wraps his arms around Tim, pulling him close. He doesn’t say anything―he just holds his little brother.

Dick hears the quiet  _ hiss  _ of the door sliding open and the gentle swish of a big, black cape. He acknowledges his former mentor with a glance, but remains silent.

“Kaldur told me what happened,” Batman says. Though his voice betrays no emotion, Dick notes that it’s missing the underlying coldness. “I was told you performed admirably, in spite of the circumstances.”

Tim looks up, the lenses of his domino mask wide. “But I―”

“Though lives were lost today, it is clear that there was nothing you could have done to save them.” Bruce pulls back the cowl, his gaze softening ever-so slightly. “Casualties will always be a part of the job.”

“It’s not easy,” Dick adds, “and it  _ never  _ gets easier, but sometimes… sometimes it’s important to remember that you just can’t save everyone.”

Tim doesn’t say anything for a long time. He leans against Dick heavily, tears still running down his face. After a moment, Bruce comes closer, kneeling down to Tim’s level. He reaches out and gently peels away the domino mask, setting it aside. Then, he pulls a few tissues out of the box on the nightstand, using them to wipe away his tears.

“It’s okay to mourn them, Tim,” Bruce says. “You’re not alone, either. You have your friends. You have Dick and Barbara. You have me.”

Tim lets out a choked sob, throwing himself at Bruce, who wraps his arms around the teenager. He cards his fingers through short black hair, whispering soft words of comfort and reassurances that, in spite of everything, Tim did good work.

Dick just hopes Tim believes them.

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on [Tumblr](https://disasterbigrayson.tumblr.com/)


End file.
